By Sharon Giltrow
Humor - “The quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.” The Oxford Dictionary
I love this definition because it combines humour and literature, which are two of my favourite things. As a writer, I aim to include humor in all my stories. Why? Because humour leads to laughter and laughing is one of the first and most universal forms of communication.
When we share a laugh with someone, we share their experiences and feelings. It helps us to connect. As a writer, connecting with your reader is essential.
When I wrote my debut picture book BEDTIME, DADDY! I wanted to connect to my readers, by sharing a laugh. So, I included as much humour and heart in my story as I could. I also wanted the adults and children who were reading BEDTIME, DADDY! to share a laugh and connect. Here are some of my favourite humorous pages from BEDTIME, DADDY! with illustrations by the amazing Katrin Dreiling. I hope we can share a laugh and connect.
Written by: Sharon Giltrow
Illustrated by: Katrin Dreiling
Published by: EK Books, May, 2020
How do I write humorous stories? I keep my eyes and ears open for funny ideas. Especially the funny things that children say and do. Children are hilarious. My idea for BEDTIME, DADDY! came from my own children. One night my son was stalling bedtime. So, his dad jumped into his bed and said “Okay then you can put me to bed.” Bedtime is not usually a funny time of day, but when it is a child who is putting their parent to bed, then that’s funny. Then I researched all the things that children do to stall bedtime. From that research, I chose the funniest stalling techniques, ramped up the humour added some heart and Hey Presto, comedy gold.
Share a laugh and connect with someone today.
